Red Letterbox
by fluffmania207
Summary: Lisbon receives a disturbing reminder, one she would prefer not to have received at all. Now, it looks as though Red John may not be completely gone after all. Collaboration with gwendolineB.
1. Chapter 1

Red Letterbox

**A/N: I haven't finished my other fanfic as yet, but I am suffering some writers block concerning that one. However, this little idea came to mind. I hope you enjoy it. A secondary title could be "Lost In The Mail". It will probably be a little creepy, but that is the sort of mood I'm in today. Enjoy.**

Chapter one

The mail arrived at the usual time that morning, and Teresa Lisbon thought nothing of it. The postal service in Austen, Texas was surprisingly more efficient than in Sacramento. It was still early, and Lisbon didn't need to go in to work yet.

She picked up her mail, and sifted through an assortment of bills. A bright flash of crimson caught her eye, and she dropped the remaining letters onto the coffee table. The envelope was crimson, with neat black writing on it. What interested her was the original address. It was her old apartment in Sacramento. That address had been crossed out, and her new one studiously handwritten in next to it in blue pen.

She sat down and flipped the envelope over. There was no return address. She ripped it open and pulled out a letter. It was the same handwriting as her original address had been. She smoothed out the crisp white paper.

"Teresa." It began.  
"I know that, for you to be reading this, I must have been killed. It's hardly unexpected, after Lorelei gave away such vital information. I never did like her. You must congratulate Patrick for finishing what he set out to do. It only took him ten years to figure it all out. I mean, I didn't think he would ever find out my true identity. So, congratulate him for me.  
But ask yourself, is he satisfied with my death? Did killing me really bring back the family I took from him? And will he ever really move on from what happened?

I know that you have all moved on,  
to greener, fairer grounds.  
The CBI is now no more,  
and happiness abounds.

Patrick Jane had his revenge,  
a killer has deceased.  
And now a life so broken up  
can once more be increased.

But remember this one thing,  
as you now all move on.  
"Red John" left a legacy  
even though I'm gone.

And one other thing, Ms Lisbon,  
as you probably agree.  
Life in Austen seems quite nice,  
now that you both are free.

The expression on your face right now,  
I wish that I could see.  
"Red John" is always watching,  
and you'll always think of me.

Remember, Teresa, I have friends. Even though I'm dead, you are still being watched.  
Regards  
Red John."

Lisbon dropped the paper like it was a burning coal. Her heart thumped in her chest, and she tried to calm herself down. This letter couldn't be from Red John. He had been dead for two years. And her move to Austen had only happened in the last six months. She picked up the crimson envelope, and read the postmark. The date stamped onto it made her hands quiver. It was postmarked as being sent shortly after Red John's death, from Sacramento itself. "But how?" wondered Lisbon out loud. "How did Red John know? I haven't even been here long."

The envelope was beginning to shake so much that Lisbon couldn't read the writing. This letter was definitely something that Jane would need to read. He would know if Red John had sent it.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Lisbon called Jane over to her desk. It had been a quiet afternoon at the FBI, and so there was some spare time. "Jane," said Lisbon as the man approached her desk. "Take a look at this."

Jane took the letter from her and read it carefully. When he was done, he looked at Lisbon. "When did you get this?"

Lisbon glanced around. "This morning. It arrived with all of my other mail."

Jane nodded. "Before we go any further, I want to say that this is definitely Red John's handwriting. I am sure of that much."

Lisbon's hands shook. "I don't know what to do about it, Jane."

Jane handed the paper back to her. "Ignore it. The man is gone. It is just a last attempt to intimidate us, Lisbon. But we know he's never coming back."

Lisbon nodded, wondering how he could brush it off so easily. Jane went and lay on his couch, and tried to come up for a reasonable explanation of how Red John would know where Lisbon had moved. But no solution came to him. The afternoon wore on, bus still no explanation. Jane hated puzzles without solutions.

Lisbon's mind wouldn't let her forget the poem, so neatly written. She had no idea how Red John could possibly have known where she was moving to. It disturbed her greatly, and she got very little work done that day.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Lisbon sat awake, unable to relax. The letter was sitting on the table in front of her, and Lisbon watched it fearfully. It seemed as though the paper itself might become the image of Red John if she stared long enough. Of course, nothing happened. But Lisbon couldn't help but ask the question; how? The word continued to spin through her mind. There were not possible solutions she could come up with that made sense. This letter had thrown a spanner into her careful engine, and threatened to destroy it all. Lisbon knew she could find no possible answer; but still, she tried.

There was no answer. And that was possibly the scariest thing of all.

**A/N2: I hope you have enjoyed this installment. Please leave me a review and tell me what you think of my efforts. I would greatly appreciate it.**


	2. Chapter 2

Red Letterbox

**A/N: Well, this was initially supposed to be a one-shot, but thanks to the wonderful Gwendoline B, I now have a second chapter to post. I hope you enjoy it. Many thanks to Gwendoline B for her chapter.**

Chapter two

Three days had passed since Red John's letter had arrived, and Lisbon still had no idea how he could have known that she would move to Austen. She couldn't sleep, couldn't concentrate and didn't get much paperwork done without making mistakes.

Jane was as secretive as always when it came to Red John. He lay on his couch and stared at the ceiling. All day long.

Lisbon could tell that he wasn't sleeping at night, not any more. There was something he didn't want to tell her, but Red John was dead. There was no reason for Jane not to tell her something in order to keep her safe. There was nobody who would kill them, so she could simply ask him what was going on. If he would refuse to talk to her about this, she would find ways to make him talk. After all, they were partners, and partners had to trust each other.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

"Jane." Lisbon headed over to his couch at the end of the day.

"What?" Jane sat up.

"You know what. I've not been sleeping for three nights now, and I know you haven't either. We're both thinking about this letter all the time. If anyone notices that something is wrong, we have to tell them. I don't want to do that."

"I wasn't thinking about the letter, Lisbon."

"Sure you were. Don't lie to me." Lisbon frowned, sitting down on the end of the sofa.

"Ok, maybe I thought about it, but..."

"No buts," Lisbon said. "And don't you dare to hide something from me. Red John is dead. You don't have to protect me anymore."

"I just need time to think about it before I tell you anything."

"No secrets, Jane. Not this time and not ever again. We're going to talk about this right now. Just tell me what you think about the letter. Please, I need to know what you think. I've been wondering how he knew that I moved to Texas and who is watching me, but I have no explanation. I guess that you might have one."

"I have some ideas, but none of them seems plausible. Actually, I think it would be better if you just try to forget about it entirely."

"What?" Lisbon was shocked. "No, I won't try to forget about this. I'm scared, Jane."

He sighed. "Alright. The most reasonable explanation is that the Blake Association is still out there. Not only in California, but in the whole country. Red John's handwriting on the envelope was black, but later someone crossed your old address out and wrote the new one in blue."

"Yeah, I know."

"I don't think this was Red John himself. Not entirely." Jane added.

"It's been six months since I've moved to Austen," Lisbon said. "How could he possibly know where I moved to?"

"I'm still working on this. The weird thing is that the letter was postmarked and sent just a few days after his death, and that it was sent to your old address."

"At first we should try to find out who sent it." Lisbon was thoughtful.

"One thing I'm sure about; no one from the suspect list could have done this, because all of them have been dead from the time I killed Red John."

"In fact," Lisbon thought for a moment. "There is someone who was always a bit creepy and suspicious. You remember Ron?"

"Yes, sure," Jane could see why Lisbon would think it was him. "Do you think it's him? That would be too easy, wouldn't it?"

"Why not? He was always in the bullpen when we were there. It's likely he heard things."

"Have you ever thought you could be overreacting?!"

"Damn it, Jane!" Lisbon almost shouted. "This is serious! This letter was scary. Red John wrote that I'm being watched. You can't tell me you suspect the Blake Association, and then expect me to brush it off again!"

"Calm down," Jane said softly. "He's gone, and even if you are being watched, you're not in danger. You always told me you could protect yourself, so don't freak out now."

"What is it that you don't want to tell me?" Lisbon demanded.

He looked away, avoiding her gaze. She had to know, so why shouldn't he tell her that she might be right in suspecting Ron from the CBI?

"You remember when I said that I only tell you 30% of what I do?"

Lisbon nodded. "Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"I checked him out, because I thought there was something off with this guy, too."

Lisbon raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, that's a relief. Did you at least find out anything useful?"

"As a matter of fact, I did."

"...Well?" Lisbon sat forwards.

"Thomas McAllister has a nephew." Said Jane. "After I joined this unit, I asked Wiley to track Ron down and find out his address and any other information. Turns out he was a member of the Blake Association too."

"But how the hell did he know about this new life in Austen?"

"Easy. He knew I had to disappear for some time after I killed Red John. Sooner or later, I would have come back to the US anyway. And do you know why Red John took you that day and painted the smiley on your face? He knew about our feelings. Actually, it was only logical that you quit your police chief job and came to work with me. I don't really know how he figured out the names on the list, but surely he figured out that we would work together one day again. He knew Abbott would shut down the CBI, and guessed the FBI wouldn't just close it and then leave. Since Abbott was from Austen, Red John figured that we would work there later. He only took an educated guess."

"Fine, but that doesn't explain why the letter was sent to this exact address."

Jane sighed again. "That is something I don't have an explanation for."

XxxxxxxxxxxX

The next day, when Jane stepped out of his Airstream, he found a second letter, which was addressed to him.

**A/N2: Thanks again to Gwendoline B for her amazing chapter. Please leave a review and tell us what you think of it. Thanks.**


	3. Chapter 3

Red Letterbox

**A/N: So, it's my turn again. I would like to thank those who have read and reviewed. I really appreciate it. Please leave a review and tell me what you think. Thanks.**

Chapter three

Jane had a feeling that he knew what would be in the letter. He picked it up and carried it back inside. The envelope was blue this time around, with the same hand-writing as before. The original address on the envelope was the motel he had been staying at when he killed Red John. The address was crossed out in the same way as before.

Jane sat down on his bed and ripped the envelope open. The paper was crisp and white.

"Patrick," it read.  
"So, I know that, by now, Teresa has probably showed you her letter. You have come up with a theory, which I know to be correct. You have tracked the letter back to my nephew, Ron. He was a valuable asset to me, because he told me everything you were feeling. It was like I had a window straight to your very thoughts. It was wonderful to know how you felt. I know you're probably wondering how I know the theory that you have. I know in the same way that I knew your suspect list before you did.

You think you're really clever,  
and con your way around.  
You know the world you occupy  
right down to the ground.

You got what you wanted;  
and settled out the score  
you "did the world a favour"  
and made me live no more.

Teresa must be so proud,  
to love a man like you.  
You do what you promise,  
and always follow through.

I see I've struck a nerve,  
in the heart of Patrick Jane.  
His real reason for living,  
the reason he was sane.

I could have taken her, you know.  
Ended her life with ease.  
She was mine to play with,  
to do as I pleased.

But I always thought of you,  
and the fun you were.  
You would be lost forever,  
had you ever lost her.

Your anger must be surging,  
I know I've fuelled your rage.  
I can see the way your hands,  
grip onto this page.

So, Patrick, you know that I still have eyes, even though you killed me. I still have a legacy, an unfinished chapter in this world. I have a last act to do before I will rest. Good luck, Patrick.

Red John."

Jane dropped the paper onto the floor and tried to stop his hands from shaking. He was furious, because he remembered the day Red John had kidnapped Lisbon. He hated the way Red John so casually referred to Lisbon as "Teresa". It somehow made it all the more personal.

Jane knew that he didn't want to tell Lisbon about this letter, because she would overreact. She always overreacted. Jane picked the letter up off the floor and left it on the bed. Jane quickly changed and slid the letter into his jacket pocket.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Lisbon sat at her desk. She glanced over at Jane, who was staring at the ceiling. She still thought about the letter she had received. She could almost recite the letter word for word, but she tried not to hear the last few lines. The fact that more than one associate of Red John's was watching them freaked her out completely. She was constantly looking over her shoulder, and examining anybody who happened to walk past her desk.

Jane seemed completely unconcerned. He hadn't mentioned the letter again to her. She waited until the end of the day before confronting him. "Jane," she said, as he stood up to leave.

Jane turned to face her. "Lisbon. What do you need?"

Lisbon pulled a face. "You know what I want to talk about, Jane. You haven't said another word to me about the letter since your theory."

Jane shrugged. "It was just a theory that I was toying with. We were speculating, and then dropped the subject."

Lisbon scowled. "Jane, you need to pay more attention to this. You can't play down the fact that a serial killer has contacted us two years after you strangled him to death."

The two colleagues were walking down the hallway at the FBI building. "I'm not playing down anything, Lisbon. I'm treating this with the attention it deserves. Which isn't much."

Lisbon grabbed Jane's arm, jerking him to a stop. "Patrick Jane, tell me what you know. Even if I shouldn't hear it. I'm sick of you not telling me things just to protect me."

Jane looked into the face of the determined woman next to him, and sighed. "I got a letter, this morning."

Lisbon turned a distinct shade paler. "What? How could you not tell me?"

Jane shrugged. "I didn't think it was important."

Lisbon wanted to raise her voice, but didn't. She didn't want to alert her co-workers, who were walking past them. "Not important? You get a letter from Red John, and it's not important?"

Jane shrugged again. "It isn't important. The man is dead, Lisbon. I made sure of that. I can't hold onto the past anymore."

Lisbon rubbed her temples. "Please just show me the letter, Jane, and let me judge its importance."

Jane sighed and pulled the folded paper out of his jacket pocket. He reluctantly handed it to her. She opened it and carefully read it. Her brow wrinkled, and she bit her lip. She looked up at Jane. "How is this not important? Jane, he basically told you that he will kill one last person, and you judge it as unimportant."

Jane took the letter and tucked it away into his pocket again. "See? This is what I didn't want to tell you. You get all shouty and worried, and now you will lecture me on hiding things from you again."

Lisbon tried to process what she had just read. She ignored the stuff about her loving Jane – because she obviously didn't – and tried to focus on the last paragraph. The fact that Red John would commit one last act scared her. They needed to know more, and soon.

**A/N2: So, the next chapter belongs to Gwendoline B. please leave us a review and tell us what you think. We would both really appreciate it. Thanks.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Red Letterbox**

**A/N1: Hey, it's Gwendoline B again. Thanks to you, dearest reader, if you have read chapter 3 by Fluffmania207. My chapter is rated M due to violence and language, but if you're ok with that, please read and review! Thanks.**

Chapter four

In the past few days, Jane and Lisbon had read the second letter over and over again, trying to figure out who could be Red John's last victim. They came to the conclusion that it had to be someone close to them, someone both of them knew, but they didn't dare to make any assumptions. Jane, of course, played it down and claimed it was just a joke to scare them.

Lisbon was close to yelling at him once again for being too calm about the entire situation.

"Jane, I'm running out of patience."

"Oh please, relax." Jane waved his hand dismissively at her.

"No," Lisbon scowled. "Red John wrote that he's going to murder someone! How the hell can you be so calm?! And worse of all, we think it's going to be someone who is close to us!"

"It's not Red John who's going to kill," said Jane slowly. "It's Ron. Probably. I guess Red John planned all this before he died to play a game with us."

"Yes, damn it!" Jane could be very frustrating. "I don't care if it's a game or not. I'm scared of what could happen to the people we know, Jane. Don't you understand that? I'm worried."

"Excuse me?" Jane's tone turned icy. "Are you saying that I don't know what it is like to be worried that Red John or one of his associates could kill someone I care about?" His voice was so calm, yet threatening.

Within a split second, Lisbon realized what she had just so stupidly said. And, more importantly, what he had responded. Jane meant her; only her. He certainly had been worried when Grace had been abducted. But Lisbon realised that it was her whom he cared most about.

"Oh god, Jane. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." she whispered, tears burning in her eyes.

"I know, Lisbon, I know." Jane patted her arm. "We should continue this talk tomorrow, it's already late."

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Lisbon was at home, lying in her bed and thinking hard. Red John wrote how easy it would have been to kill her as well, but for some reason only he knew, he hadn't. She had often wondered why she hadn't died that day.

She assumed she was still alive because Red John had been distracted by the pigeons in that horrible house. Although the abduction had happened three years ago, the memory still sent a chill down her spine. She rolled over and tried to think of other things.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Later that night, Ron paid a visit to the very last person on his master's list.

He was told to kill her the exact same way he had killed Jane's wife and daughter, but without painting a smiley with her blood on the wall. This was Red John's sign; nobody else's. So Ron sneaked into the house in the middle of the night, waiting for the perfect time to kill her. He would wake her up, hold a knife to her throat and see the fear in her eyes when she realised what was about to happen to her.

She looked so peaceful, as if the world around her had stopped and nothing could harm her. He was certain that she really thought that when she was awake. Like she was invincible.

She was wrong.

Her eyes snapped open. Her mind must be playing tricks on her. Breathing slowly in and out, she turned her head and noticed someone standing beside her. She felt something cold and sharp against her throat, right at her pulse.

When she realised what it was, a hand pressed over her mouth and pinned her to the bed. She was unable to struggle against his strength.

"Time to die."

She tried to scream, but all she could manage were desperate attempts to produce any sound at all.

At this precise moment, Ron understood the pleasure of killing. Watching them beg for mercy. Seeing the fear in their eyes. Their hopeless efforts to die with pride. And the knowledge that they were murdered by a filthy, perverted killer. He wanted to make her feel worthless, cheap, like a slut. Murdered just because it had to be done.

...And for the pleasure he was taking in it. God, all the pleasure. But this would be the last time he brutally killed a woman for his master. He slowly cut her open and watched the blood flow out of her body drop by drop. The pain in her eyes made him grin. It pleased him to see the horror on her face. He continued to cut her, watching with satisfaction as the blood soaked the sheets. With one last gurgling sound, she died under his knife, tears still on her cheeks from this hopeless fight.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Lisbon awoke, feeling that last night had been the night of the last murder. She didn't know why, but she just had to call Jane before work.

"Lisbon, what's up? It's 5 AM." Jane sounded groggy.

"I think he did it."

"Who did what? I was sleeping..." he yawned.

"Don't you lie to me, Patrick Jane. I know you still have insomnia." she spat in annoyance. "And you know damn well what I'm talking about. I think Red John has..."

"No. Not Red John." Jane corrected. "If anyone killed last night, it was Ron."

"Fine. Whatever. I'm thinking that he has killed someone last night."

"Do you really think it's a good idea to talk about this on the phone? Let's meet at the HQ in an hour."

He hung up without waiting for a reply. Lisbon hated it when he turned her down like this, especially when they were talking about something that really mattered to her.

An hour later, they met in the bullpen. Surprisingly, there was a note on Lisbon's desk.

"Oh my." Lisbon turned pale.

"Damn it, Lisbon, calm down. Just read out what it says."

"_Dear Patrick, dear Teresa,_

_Last night, the very last murder was committed. My work is finally done, and both of you can live in peace. But your life will once again be broken, damaged, filled with pain._

_Teresa, your life with Patrick began when his child was murdered, but probably, this life will come to an end now because another child is dead. She's not a child anymore, she's a young adult, but she is still a member of your family. If Patrick would not have turned you down so many times and listened to you, she could have been saved. So in the end, he is responsible once again._

_Red John."_

Jane could see Lisbon's hands shaking. "Lisbon, he's only messing with us."

Jane's calmness had driven her mad over the past few days, but after she had read that note, she completely lost it.

"It's Annie. I think it's Annie, oh no..." Lisbon sat at her desk, still shaking.

"Teresa…" Jane tried to comfort her

"NO! DON'T YOU COME UP WITH THIS 'TERESA' THING NOW!" She was crying. "THIS IS SERIOUS! I'M SURE IT'S HER! IT HAS TO BE HER!"

"We don't know that." Jane was trying desperately to comfort her.

"Do you know what, Jane?" Lisbon was angry. "Bite me! I'm going to go and find out if she's still alive!"

"She is...at least I hope so."

Lisbon tried to concentrate again and wiped the tears off her face. "Listen. I know it's not your fault this time, but maybe this wouldn't have happened if you had taken me seriously! I was begging you not to play it down, but you just said it was a damn joke all the time! I need you to know that I'm not blaming you, but..."

"I'm sorry, Lisbon..."

She was the one who cut him off this time. She had to get this out of her system now.

"Yeah, right. You're always sorry, you son of a bitch! But if Annie is dead, you're going to be the one who calls Tommy and tells him that his only daughter was killed by a serial killer's apprentice!"

**A/N2: The next chapter belongs to Fluffmania207. Please leave a review and tell us what you think. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Red Letterbox

**A/N: Sorry about the delay. Work has been hectic. Anyway, here is the next chapter. Enjoy.**

Chapter five

Lisbon sat at her desk. She couldn't move. She was sick with the thought that her only niece had been murdered as Red John's last attempt to break them. Jane hurried away, eager to contact Tommy, Lisbon's youngest brother. Jane had pretended to play down the entire situation to protect Lisbon. She would freak out if she saw that he was worried too. But he was probably more anxious than she was.

He picked up the phone off of a desk nearby. He remembered seeing Tommy's phone number scrawled onto a piece of paper on Lisbon's desk when they still worked at the CBI. He hurriedly dialled the number. After waiting impatiently for it to be answered, a male voice picked up on the other side. "Hello."

"Tommy?" Jane was anxious.

"Yeah," the voice replied. "Who is this?"

Jane cleared his throat. "This is Patrick Jane. I work with Teresa."

There was a pause. "What's happened to Tessie?"

Jane shut his eyes. "Nothing has happened to Teresa. But I have one question; where is Annie?"

On the other side, Tommy shrugged. "I haven't seen her all morning. She doesn't usually come out 'til about eleven. Why?"

Jane felt his knees weaken. "I will go and fetch Teresa. She needs to talk to you."

Jane set the phone down on the desk and hurried over to Lisbon. She still sat at her desk, and hadn't moved. Jane grabbed her arm. "Tommy needs to hear this from you. I can't tell him."

Lisbon could understand Jane's aversion to having to tell a person he had just lost the only family he had to Red John. Lisbon rose and headed over to the phone. She picked it up. "Tommy," she said. "I need you to check on Annie. Please."

Tommy was confused. "Why? Nothing has happened to her. I would have heard it."

"Please, Tommy," Lisbon begged. "I need you to check on her. I fear something may have happened to her."

"Why would anything have happened to her? Teresa, what did you do? What did Patrick Jane do?"

Lisbon shut her eyes. "Jane and I received a letter each from Red John, written before he died. The details are too perfect to make logical sense, but we got a letter this morning, saying that a member of my family was murdered last night. A female member."

Tommy felt his blood run cold. "Teresa, I will be right back."

Jane pulled out his phone and dialled an old friend of his. This friend just happened to pilot a light aircraft, and he was in Austen. "Jerry, Patrick here. Listen, I need a favour. Nothing serious. I just need you to fly myself and a friend to Chicago as quickly as humanly possible."

Jerry nodded. "Be at the airport in half an hour. I will be ready to leave."

"Thanks. I owe you." Jane shut his phone and turned to Lisbon. "We have a ride up to Chicago."

Lisbon nodded as Tommy returned onto the line. "I can't get Annie's bedroom door open. It isn't locked, but seems jammed."

"Tommy, we're on our way." Lisbon put the phone down and followed Jane from the room. They barely had time to tell Abbott they were leaving before Jane dragged her from the building.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Lisbon stepped onto the tiny plane and settled into her seat. Jane sat next to his friend Jerry, who completed his last minute checks. The plane taxied onto the runway and took off. Lisbon was too scared to speak. She worried about her niece, and her brother should her niece be dead. She worried about how Jane would react, seeing another loved one taken so abruptly at the hands of Red John.

The flight seemed to take no time at all, and soon they were landing in Chicago. They rented a car from the airport, and drove through light traffic to where Tommy lived. Lisbon's heart sank through the floor as they rounded the last corner. Police cars lined the streets, and familiar yellow tape cordoned off the house. Jane drew the car to a stop and shut off the engine. Lisbon was out before Jane could stop her.

The police tried to grab Lisbon before she could enter, but she flashed her FBI badge into their faces. They stepped back, allowing her and Jane access to the scene. Tommy sat in the back of an ambulance, in shock. Lisbon headed over to him first. "Teresa," he said, wrapping his arms around her. "Teresa, it's awful…"

Lisbon rubbed her brother's back, remembering how she used to do that when he was little. "I know, Tommy. I know."

Jane headed through the front door and followed the noise to a far bedroom. The door was broken, and Jane assumed Tommy had kicked it in. there had been a chair and dresser pushed in front of the door. Jane could see that the dresser had been moved after the murder, because there was a void in the blood spatter on the wall next to the door. He looked over at the bed, and could feel the pain of ten years coming back to him. The fruitless searches. The sleepless nights. The nightmares. The horror of each scene unfolding. The pain of each family. Jane felt it all over again.

What made it worse was that Tommy had discovered the body. Annie lay on her bed, her eyes open. She was covered in cuts – like any Red John scene – and she had suffered great pain. The only thing missing was a grotesque smiley face. Jane figured Ron wasn't allowed to do that face. That was Red John's trademark. The CSIs were all over the room, and one of them picked up a pink envelope from the bed side cabinet. It was addressed to 'Teresa and Patrick'. "Excuse me," said Jane, flashing his I.D card. "May I see that?"

The CSI nodded and tossed him a pair of latex gloves. Jane carefully opened the letter. Lisbon appeared from outside, and spotted the letter in Jane's hands. She moved to stand next to him, and they read it together.

"Patrick and Teresa," it began.  
"Now your pain is complete. A member of your family, Teresa, has been taken, and another irrevocably changed. Tommy will, no doubt, blame you for this. After all, you were the lead investigator. Ron has performed his job well, Patrick, and I can almost feel your painful memories eating away at your concentration.

Patrick and Teresa,  
Another life is spent.  
Another person left unsaved,  
another painful dent.

Teresa, this must hurt you,  
to feel Patrick's pain.  
To see the hurt in his eyes  
all over again.

If only there was something  
that you could have done.  
A way to know this would happen.  
But of course, there was none.

Patrick, I can see it now;  
the pain in your eyes.  
You have no way to cover it,  
no refuge made of lies.

You tried to convince yourself  
that this was just a game.  
I'm sorry to disappoint,  
and cause loads of shame.

But, somehow, you deserve this,  
to feel this all this regret.  
But you did con Teresa.  
You give, and you get.

My work here is done. I now rest, and leave you with this pain. Good bye, Teresa. Good bye, Patrick. Enjoy the lives you both live, miserable as they will now be.

Red John."

Lisbon felt the blood leave her face, and tried to steady herself. Jane handed the envelope and letter back to a CSI and lead Teresa from the room. They were out on the street before she finally collapsed.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Lisbon could barely see where she was going. She thought of the pain. The hurt her brother felt. She couldn't hold out against the blood loss any longer, and dropped to her knees on the grass outside. She keeled over, and lay still, completely unconscious.

**A/N2: So, the next chapter belongs to Gwendoline B. I hope you enjoyed this one, and please leave a review for us. Thanks.**


	6. Chapter 6

Red Letterbox

**A/N: Hey, this is Gwendoline B. Please read and review!**

Chapter six

Lisbon slowly woke up. She felt like she had been sleeping for weeks. Her neck was stiff, and her head felt like she had been hit with a sledgehammer. There were voices far away from her; loud, aggressive, arguing voices. They were vaguely familiar. She opened her eyes and realized she was in a hospital room. All she could see were white walls, white curtains and white, cold light. She turned her head to the direction were she thought the voices came from. Every move felt like someone had hit her with a hammer.

After she had recovered from her first headache, she heard Tommy, Jane and someone else arguing...

'_Is that Abbott?' _Lisbon thought with a shock._ 'Crap, so the team knows, too... And I thought we could keep this from them.'_

There was movement behind the door and Lisbon automatically closed her eyes and pretended to sleep when her visitors came in, just like Jane did when he wanted to be alone.

They entered the room, now whispering, but she could still hear every word.

"If you would have told me about this earlier, none of this would have happened, Jane."

"Abbott," Jane said, choosing his words carefully. "Nobody could have prevented this. But I do regret that I turned Lisbon down all the time. I need to tell her this when she wakes up... There's nothing you could have done if we had told you about the letters earlier."

What surprised Lisbon was how calmly Jane spoke. He didn't sound angry or upset, he didn't even yell at Abbott. Maybe it was because she was 'asleep' and nobody wanted to wake her. Or maybe because Jane was just so good at hiding his emotions from everybody else.

"Well, Jane." Abbott said. "At least you told us now, but I..."

Then Jane cut him off. "Wait! I told you about this right after I called an ambulance for Lisbon. Before that, there has been no need to tell you. We had the situation under control!"

"No, you didn't. We will have a serious conversation about this when she's ready to leave the hospital." replied Abbott angrily.

"Are we forgetting that_ I_ am the victim?" Tommy's emotion was clear in his voice. "This Ron killed_ my _daughter! The only thing I had! She was everything to me and some psychopath killed her because of YOU!" Tommy suddenly yelled at Jane.

"You think I don't know how that feels?" Jane shouted back.

Abbott spoke again, trying to calm the two men down. "The FBI is declaring its apologies to you, Thomas. As soon as agent Lisbon is ready to work again, there will be an investigation and..."

"No, sir." Lisbon could hear that Tommy was pacing. "I don't care about your damn investigations! One week ago, I lost my only daughter and I almost lost my sister! I certainly won't wait for any investigations and I won't rest until this son of a bitch who killed my Annie is dead!"

Tommy reminded her of Jane. The way he didn't care about authorities, the way he obsessively wanted to catch and murder the man who took his daughter away.

"Mr. Lisbon," Abbott began.

_How strange is that?! Tommy as 'Mr. Lisbon'?' _Lisbon desperately wanted to comfort her brother._ 'Damn, this is serious... And why the hell do I still pretend to sleep? I guess it's because everyone will freak out as soon as I open my eyes.'_

Abbott went on. "We will do anything to find Ron and bring him to trial. I assure you, he will be brought to justice."

"Thanks, Agent Abbott." Tommy said absently. Lisbon assumed he was lost in his thoughts and didn't really listen to him. She remembered Jane doing that on occasion.

"I'm going to return to the office now and leave you two alone with Lisbon for a while. She needs her family right now." Abbott opened the door to leave.

'_Family?!' _Lisbon desperately fought her heartbeat to keep it steady, not wanting to give away the fact that she was awake. '_Jane is not my family... Tommy is, but Jane not... Well, sort of... God, this headache is killing me.'_

She heard Abbott leave the room and realized Jane hadn't said anything in a while, but she felt his presence right next to her bed.

"Do you know what?" Tommy opened the door. "I think I'm leaving, too. Tessie won't wake up in the next few days anyway and she needs some rest."

"Tommy." Jane replied. "Lisbon only had a breakdown after..." he struggled for words.

He couldn't talk about what happened to Annie, let alone admit to himself that he had dreamt about it every night. Every time he fell asleep, he saw Annie, lying there with her eyes open, covered in blood. The image was seared into his mind. It rivaled the images of Charlotte and Angela.

"Yeah, I know." Tommy still had his hand on the door. "But it wasn't just a breakdown. She's been in a coma since then. It's been a whole damn week, Jane! A week! And we don't even know if she will wake up!"

"Relax, Tommy." Jane was trying his hypnotising techniques on Tommy in an effort to calm him down. "The doctors said that she definitely will wake up again, that's the point. So it's not an 'if', it's a 'when'. Lisbon is tough, she'll make it. I've been working with her for over a decade and I need you to know that I care about her. Deeply."

"Yeah, I've noticed that." Tommy didn't sound too pleased about that information. "Listen, when I realized how shocked you were after you saw Annie, I knew how much you care about each and every victim. I trust you with talking with Tessie about what happened. I'm not yet strong enough for this. If she really matters to you as much as you said, tell her. I'm going home now. Bye."

"Bye, Tommy."

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Lisbon felt a weight on the edge of her bed and assumed Jane had sat there. He didn't say anything and he didn't move; he just kept sitting there. After a while, he took her hand and stroked it gently.

"Lisbon, there's no need to pretend, I know you're awake." he whispered.

At first, she thought about ignoring him.

"Come on, look at me, Teresa." Jane almost begged.

When she opened her eyes, she found him right next to her, his head resting on the bed, as if he hadn't been a 100% sure if she really was awake.

"How did you know I'm not in the coma anymore?" Lisbon croaked.

"Your breathing wasn't as slow and quiet as during the last week. Also, your heart rate picked up at one point. I'm so glad you're awake, I almost thought you wouldn't get over it after what... um, you know... happened."

"I feel like I've been hit by a car, Jane." Lisbon struggled to sit up. "It's been only one week since he killed her? What happened after we went out of the house? I can't remember a single thing."

Lisbon could see that Jane didn't want to talk about this and of course, there was something he wasn't telling her. He avoided her gaze but gripped her hand tighter. This man was the embodiment of contradiction and lies.

"Listen, after we left the house, you had a breakdown. It was bad. I called the paramedics, and then Abbott. I know we didn't want to involve the team in this, but there was no other option. You dropped to your knees and became unconscious. When the ambulance arrived, Tommy and I went to the hospital with you. Abbott yelled at me about not telling anybody. Pretty much like he did just a moment ago. And..."

"What?"

"The funeral is in five days. You're lucky you woke up today." The moment he said it, he knew it was the worst joke ever.

"Jane." she said angrily, "This isn't funny, and you do know I'm grieving, don't you?"

"Yeah, sorry. I know it wasn't funny, I just thought...never mind."

Lisbon thought about something else. "What you said earlier about regretting that you turned me down, was it true? Because I need you to know that none of this is your fault. We couldn't have done anything even if you had taken me seriously. I know that. But that doesn't change anything. I'm still mad at you. And disappointed. This is Annie we're talking about. I haven't seen her in a while, but that doesn't mean I don't care. I can only imagine what Tommy feels right now, she was his everything!"

"I know." Jane could only look down.

"STOP SAYING YOU KNOW!" Lisbon was getting frustrated.

Jane was surprised how strong she was after a week of being in a coma, and that she remembered everything, but more than happy that she was entirely herself again.

"Lisbon, if you want me to leave you alone for a while, it's ok." Jane stood up. "You've just woken up and your world is a mess right now. But I assure you, I'm sorry for what I've done and I'll be there for you at any time. It was true what I said earlier, believe me. But if you want to be alone, say it, because I won't leave you voluntarily."

She just looked at him, suddenly feeling unable to speak.

"Tell me to go, Teresa." Jane turned away.

"No." Lisbon's heart rate spiked at the thought of him leaving her. "Please, stay. I can't be alone right now. And... I lied to you earlier. I'm not mad or disappointed, I'm glad you're here. Don't go." she begged him.

He sat back down, squeezed her hand, and smiled.

"Do you want me to ask the nurse to give you more pain killers? I guess your headache is worse than ever."

"Jane, it's nothing, you don't have to..." But he had already pressed the button to call a nurse.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Meanwhile in the bullpen, Abbott told Cho, Wiley and Fisher to dig through the information Jane gave them about Ron and the letters from Red John. Abbott didn't look forward to the interrogations with Jane and Lisbon because he didn't want to upset them before the funeral, but Ron had to be caught. The death penalty was waiting for him, no matter if he confessed or not. Abbott was sure that one reason why Red John left these letters was to get Ron killed, too.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Two days later, Lisbon was allowed to leave the hospital. She went into the bullpen with Jane and prepared herself to get interrogated about Red John's letters and why they hadn't told anyone. But in fact, she was more concerned about what she would feel when she would meet Tommy again at Annie's funeral.

Jane knew how she felt, but he didn't say anything when they walked into the office side by side. Suddenly, Lisbon looked at him.

"Jane. There's something I want you to know. When all this is over, the interrogations, the funeral, our lives will be fine again. Not the same as a few weeks ago, but fine. Red John wrote that we should enjoy our lives, which would be miserable from now on. I think everything will be good when this nightmare is over. Red John was wrong."

Then both went into the interrogation room together.

**A/N2: Thanks for reading! Please leave us a review and tell us what you think. The next chapter belongs to Fluffmania207.**

**PS: I borrowed the line "Tell me to go." from The Blacklist.**


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